This film was the fifth of seven little "B" plus westerns that Randolph Scott and director Budd Boetticher made together between 1956-60. Five of the seven were made by Scott's own company Ranown and released by Columbia. "Westbound", released by Warner Brothers, departed from the Columbia westerns in that the story took place mostly in a town and not in the wide open spaces. It appears to have had a bigger budget as there is larger cast, more set pieces and more villains.The time is 1864 during the American Civil War and Captain John Hayes (Scott) is assigned to be the line manager of the Overland Stage Company. His task is to expedite gold shipments east for the Union treasury by stagecoach. Unfortunately, there are southern sympathizers who will do any thing to stop the shipments and take the gold for the south.On his way to Julesberg, Colorado, Hayes meets a young war amputee Rod Miller (Michael Dante) who introduces him to his wife Jeanie (Karen Steele). Hayes arrives in town only to find the Overland station closed. The former agent is Clay Putman (Andrew Duggan) who has acquired several properties and is a rich man with gunmen such as Mace (Michael Pate) and Russ (John Day) on his payroll. Putman has also married Hayes' former sweetheart Norma (Virginia Mayo).Putnam wants to achieve his goal of stopping the gold shipments with little or no bloodshed. Mace on the other hand, is more in favor of the violent way of doing things. Hayes sets up the Miller ranch as a relay station to help the young couple gain confidence in light of Rod's handicap.One night Russ and his gang raid the Miller Station to steal their horses. Rod is shot by Russ after being mistaken for Hayes. Putnam is outraged at the needless violence. Later, Mace and the gang chase down a coach causing it and its passengers, including a little girl, to plunge to their deaths over a steep hill.Putnam fires Mace but Mace plans to continue his attacks with his ultimate gain of killing Hayes. Norma tells Putnam that she has had enough and plans to leave him. In a drunken rage, Putnam heads for town to stop Mace. Mace and his gang have begun their attack on Hayes when.....................................................Some consider "Westbound" to be the weakest film in the Scott/Boetticher series. It does differ from the Ranown Columbia entries, but is still an enjoyable western nonetheless. After all Randolph Scott gets to have two leading ladies in this one. He is still a loner but is not strictly out for revenge as he was in the other films.Karen Steele makes her second of three appearances in the series. She was after all director Budd's main squeeze at the time. Michael Dante's role is all too brief. Duggan is a respectable if not somewhat likable villain. Virginia Mayo's part is brief but she still looked good. Walter Reed, who was in "Seven Men From Now" (1956) plays the town doctor who comes to Scott's aid at the film's climax. Wally Brown as Stubby the stage driver and Walter Barnes as the stopover cook are others in the cast.

This is a decent western—how could it not be since it stars Randolph Scott, always a cowboy who could make you believe it. Here he's a cavalry officer charged with getting gold shipments back east for the Union war effort. Trouble is there are Southern sympathizers in town, including his romantic rival (Duggan) and the hired gunsel (Pate); on the other hand, Scott's only help is a one-armed ex-Union soldier and his eye-catching wife (Dante & Steele).Most of the action occurs in town or at the stagecoach way station, but we do get some well-chosen scenic shots in Warner Color. Also, Dante makes a likable ally for Scott, as he shows us how to fire a rifle with only one hand; at the same time, he and Scott play off one another really well. However, Mayo's role looks like an inessential add-on, maybe for marquee value.Unfortunately, that final shootout is not up to Boetticher's usual standards— for example, Mace (Pate) looks like he wants to get shot, standing in the middle of the street as bullets fly. Speaking of the versatile Michael Pate, he seems to have been in about every sage opera of the period. But then he's got such a different look, so well suited to playing baddies.Anyway, the overall result is not on par with Boetticher's classic Ranown series of westerns, made at about the same time, (The Tall T {1957}, et al.). It's a comparison that may indicate the importance of producer Harry Joe Brown to that exceptional series. Nonetheless, Westbound is still worth a look-see as Scott turns in another fine performance.

Out of Warner Brothers and filmed in Warnercolor, Westbound is directed by Budd Boetticher & written by Berne Giler & Albert Shelby LeVino. It stars Randolph Scott, Virginia Mayo, Karen Steele, Michael Dante, Andrew Duggan & Michael Pate. The story is set in 1864 during the American Civil War where Scott plays John Hayes, the man charged with the task of running the Overland Stage Line between California and Julesburg, Colorado. The function of which is to transport gold and the mail to aid the Union war effort. In Julesburg, Hayes finds a host of problems with Confederate sympathisers led by Clay Putnam (Duggan), who also happens to be married to Norma (Mayo), an old flame of Hayes.Of the seven Western film's that Boetticher and Scott made, Westbound is widely regarded as the weakest. Not part of the Ranown cycle they did that featured Harry Joe Brown on production and Burt Kennedy screen writing, it is a decent, if disposable, Western movie. The story is actually rather enticing, but with such a small running time and a condensed location shoot, the movie is never quite able to lay down some solid footings for the characters to flourish from. This leaves the supporting actors either exposed to their failings as thesps (Duggan is particularly bad), or playing underdeveloped participants (sadly the case with Mayo).However, this being Boetticher & Scott it does have some nice passages to take in, unsurprisingly the best of which is when Scott is on screen. Be it cocking a rifle with one hand, throwing one of his best ever punches, squaring off against Pate's effective turn as henchman Mace; or laying on some reflective emotion around the two ladies of the piece, Scott is always captivating. What action there is is attention grabbing for the budget and David Buttolph provides a perky score that's at its best during the stagecoach sequences. With the exteriors primarily filmed at the Warner Ranch, J. Peverell Marley is able to photograph enough of the grassy hilled scenery to make an easy on the eye impact.Enjoyable and safe fare for Western fans, but very much a low key affair from the normally dynamite partnership of director & star. 6/10

Agree with other viewers that "Westbound" is the least of the seven Budd Boettcher/Randolph Scott westerns. But the assured work of both Director Boettcher and Star Scott take this up a notch or two from the run-of-the-mill fifties oater. Nice work too from Michael Pate as the arch villain (watch the way he moves). And it's good to see Virginia Mayo, even in a throwaway role. In most other respects, though, this just isn't up to Boettcher's other work with Scott, and the fact Boettcher dismissed and virtually disowned it is no surprise. The movie lacks the tough, lean feel that makes the others real classics that can be seen over and over. One viewing is enough for "Westbound."